Idexx Responds to Outbreak With H3N2 Dog Flu TestMay 11, 2015Learn About CIV A one-hour webinar focused on canine influenza virus and the newly emerged H3N2 strain will take place Friday, May 15 at noon Eastern time. The session is intended for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The webinar is sponsored by veterinary drug maker Zoetis Inc. and will be presented by Richard E. Goldstein, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, the chief medical officer at Animal Medical Center in New York. Registration is available at http://bit.ly/1G0D4a3 and will close 30 minutes before the start. Idexx Laboratories Inc. has released a diagnostic test for the H3N2 canine influenza virus less than four weeks after an outbreak began in Chicago and spread to a handful of states. The new H3N2 Influenza Virus RealPCR Test uses throat and eye swabs to determine whether dogs are infected with the uncommon strain. The test is available by itself or, at no additional cost, with other Idexx Comprehensive Canine Respiratory Disease (CRD) RealPCR panels, the Westbrook, Maine, company reported. H3N2—first identified in Asia nearly a decade ago—arose in more than 1,000 Chicago-area dogs beginning April 12 and later was found in Alabama, California, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Texas and Wisconsin. A small number of dogs died from the …
SPONSORED CONTENTThe Reality of Veterinary Surgery ErgonomicsOne of the greatest challenges of Work-Related Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (WRMSD) is that they can come on slowly. They can be easy to ignore initially. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) issued ergonomic guidelines to help veterinarians catch problems early. + Learn More
Missouri’s VMTH Helps Clients Afford Care for Pets with Payment OptionMay 9, 2015The University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) and Universal Guardian Acceptance (UGA) of St. Joseph, Mo., have been able to offer nearly 400 pet owners financing for various treatments and procedures over the past 10 months. UGA, which considers itself a non-traditional financing company, announced the progress of the partnership in late April. After providing an in-house payment plan for many years, the teaching hospital wanted to increase financing options available to avoid having to turn away clients who did not have the available funds necessary to pay for their animals’ medical care. VMTH and UGA partnered last year in an effort to bring new payment options for owners. “Now that we have UGA on our side, our clients and prospective clients don’t have the stress of worrying how they will pay for care their animal needs added to any anxiety they may already have worrying about their animal’s health,” said David Wilson, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, director of the VMTH. “Our staff, freed from the time commitment involved in arranging financing, is better able to focus on providing excellent customer service.” Dr. Wilson noted that UGA’s financing program alleviates the problems families face when their pet encounters a …
Vets More Likely to Suffer From Mental Illness, Study ShowsMay 8, 2015Originally published in the April 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News U.S. veterinarians suffer higher rates of suicidal thoughts and depression compared to the general adult population, a government study has found. An online questionnaire completed by more than 10,000 working veterinarians found that 7 percent of men and just over 1 in 10 women displayed signs of serious psychological distress. In addition, about 1 in 6 respondents had entertained suicidal thoughts since graduation from veterinary school. The subject of suicide and depression in the veterinary profession was brought into focus again in September 2014 when animal behaviorist Sophia Yin, DVM, MS, killed herself in her Davis, Calif., home. Colleagues reported seeing few or no signs of mental distress in Yin in the weeks leading up to her death. The government study, released Feb. 13, was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in cooperation with Veterinary Information Network and other partners. The findings also showed that among veterinarians, 1.1 percent of men and 1.4 percent of women had attempted suicide. The percentages were lower than those for U.S. adults in general, but for a tragic reason. Kimberly A. May, DVM, MS, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s …
UC Davis Names Dr. Pam Hullinger Director of Large Animal ClinicMay 7, 2015The University of California, Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has named Pam Hullinger, DVM, Dipl. ACVPM, as director of the Large Animal Clinic. The appointment became effective April 27. Dr. Hullinger joins UC Davis from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she served as chief veterinary officer of the Agricultural Security Program. She will also maintain her previously held position at UC Davis in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Medicine and Epidemiology as a specialist/clinical diagnostic epidemiologist and lecturer. “I am honored to be returning to UC Davis to work with such an esteemed team of veterinarians and patient care technical specialists,” Hullinger said. “I look forward to working with the faculty and staff to implement a strategic planning effort that will improve on the Large Animal Clinic’s already excellent level of clinical equine and livestock programs.”
Lincoln Memorial Partners with Daemen CollegeMay 5, 2015Under a new agreement, students from Daemen College in Amherst, N.Y., will be able to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree through an accelerated program at Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine. The memorandum of agreement—the first like this that LMU-CVM has established with another institution—was signed on April 20. “We are excited to enter into this agreement with Daemen College,” said Glen F. Hoffsis, DVM, dean and vice president of the college. “LMU is proud of its new College of Veterinary Medicine and we are pleased to provide an opportunity for Daemen students to follow their dream of becoming a veterinarian.” Under the agreement, Daemen students will attend the Amherst-based college for three years and then apply to advance to the four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at LMU in Harrogate, Tennessee. Upon completion of their first year at LMU, students will earn a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences from Daemen and continue with their veterinary studies that will lead to a DVM from Lincoln Memorial University. The program will launch in fall 2015.
Patterson to Buy Animal Health InternationalMay 4, 2015Two leading distributors of veterinary products—Patterson Companies Inc. and Animal Health International Inc.—have agreed to a $1.1 billion merger that would double Patterson’s veterinary business. Patterson’s takeover of Animal Health International was announced today and is expected to close by late July. The deal came less than three months after another major acquisition in the veterinary channel: AmerisourceBergen Corp.’s $2.5 billion purchase of MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. Patterson, a St. Paul, Minn., company that also distributes products in the dental and medical rehabilitation fields, announced that it would try to sell its smaller rehabilitation subsidiary. “We believe concentrating Patterson’s resources and management on growing our closely aligned dental and veterinary units—both organically and through acquisitions—will enrich our ability to maximize the return on the capital we invest,” said chairman and CEO Scott P. Anderson. The company’s Devens, Mass.-based subsidiary, Patterson Veterinary Supply, generated more than $1.2 billion in sales in fiscal 2014 across the United States and United Kingdom. Doing business primarily with small animal hospitals, Patterson distributes veterinary consumables, equipment, software, vaccines and drugs. Animal Health International, based in Greeley, Colo., reported sales of $1.5 billion in the 12 months ended …
Careless Dog Owners Could Be in Mess of TroubleMay 4, 2015Dogs can run, but they can’t hide from PooPrints. BioPet Vet Lab, which specializes in canine genetic testing, is partnering with the appropriately named London borough of Barking and Dagenham to track down dog owners who fail to remove their pets’ public deposits. Starting in September 2016, people who don’t pick up after their dogs could be fined 80 pounds, or about $125. The registration of dogs’ DNA could become mandatory five months earlier if a pilot program proves successful. That’s where BioPet and its U.K. licensee, Streetkleen Bio, come in. Canine cheek swabs will be taken and sent to BioPet’s Knoxville, Tenn., laboratory for identification and registration of the dogs. When Barking and Dagenham party poopers come across a pile of dog doo, a sample will be shipped to BioPet in an attempt to identify the canine offender. “Wardens will patrol the borough’s 27 parks and open spaces and test any rogue mess,” the BBC news agency reportedly bluntly. Borough leaders decided to enforce a Public Space Protection Order, a quality-of-life measure that allows governments across the United Kingdom to crack down on anti-social behavior in public areas such as parks, cemeteries and beaches. The effort in Barking and …
AVMA: Pharmacists Need Veterinary SchoolingMay 4, 2015The American Veterinary Medical Association thinks pharmacists should learn more about veterinary drugs as online and brick-and-mortar stores capture a greater share of the pet medications market. The AVMA board of directors is recommending that the House of Delegates approve a resolution calling for veterinary pharmacology courses in pharmacy school and related continuing education classes for professional druggists. The idea, one of four resolutions scheduled for discussion in July at the AVMA convention in Boston, aims to reduce pet medication errors and improve communication between pharmacists and veterinarians. A 2012 survey conducted by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association found many instances of pharmacists changing prescribed doses of pet medications or substituting a different product without the veterinarian’s authorization. In some cases, the actions led to an animal’s death, the survey found. The issue has become more pronounced as pharmacies large and small, including mass market retailers Walmart and Target, move into veterinary prescriptions. The market research firm Packaged Facts in 2013 reported that veterinarians still sold a majority of dog and cat medications—an estimated 58 percent—but that sellers on the human side were doing a brisk and growing business. Besides urging wider education of pharmacists, Resolution 8: Encourages pharmacists …
Longtime Pet Hospital Shutting DownMay 4, 2015That’s it. We’re done. The owners of Sparling Veterinary Clinic will walk away from their business and careers May 13, permanently closing a hospital that has served the residents of Chehalis, Wash., for 62 years. Anna Sparling, DVM, and her husband, Alan Sparling, DVM, are retiring without ever trying to sell the practice. They have advised clients to pick up their pets’ medical records and patronize nearby veterinarians. “After 37 years of providing veterinary service to Lewis County, we are retiring,” the couple stated candidly on their clinic’s Facebook page. Located halfway between Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Sparling Veterinary Clinic caters to low-income pet owners and is undoubtedly low tech. “The clinic is 62 years old and has changed very little in that time,” Anna Sparling said. “We heat with wood and do all of the woodcutting ourselves. We are not computerized, and we have one employee, who has been with us for 20 years. “We do everything ourselves, from taking blood, taking X-rays—and developing them in dip tanks—to bookwork and cleaning cages.” The practice has provided the couple with a very modest income—one that “We have learned to live with, so we have no debt,” Anna Sparling said. …
Survey: Clients Want to Know About ParasitesApril 30, 2015Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News Tens of thousands of dollars in additional revenue may be a series of phone calls away for U.S. veterinary hospitals. The Companion Animal Parasite Council and Bayer Animal Health in January released the results of a survey that found that 90 percent of U.S. pet owners want to hear about local spikes in pests such as disease-carrying ticks and heartworm-transmitting mosquitoes. Pet owners are willing to open their wallets, too, with 89 percent saying they likely would schedule an appointment to get their pet tested if a heightened parasite risk was communicated. The survey’s sponsors forecast that a two-doctor practice that informed clients about urgent parasitic risks in their home county and delivered related services could generate from $163,000 to $789,000 a year in extra revenue, depending on the level of pet owner response. “It’s amazing what some fairly simple changes can do financially for our profession,” said Karen E. Felsted, MS, DVM, CPA, CVPM, founder of president of PantheraT, a practice consulting firm in Dallas. She is the former CEO of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues. Dr. Felsted was joined by CAPC leaders Susan E. Little, …
